Of Wine and Fireflies
by gglovebug
Summary: GSR. Grissom POV. A little housecleaning leads to a trip down memory lane for Grissom. Response to an Unbound Improv Challenge.


Disclaimer: All rights to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and its characters belong to CBS/Alliance Atlantis/Jerry Bruckheimer Television/Anthony E. Zuiker. No copyright infringement is intended.

Spoilers: None that I can think of.  
Rating: R  
Pairing: G/S  
Summary: GSR. A little housecleaning leads to a trip down memory lane for Grissom…

A/N: This is my response to the weekly Unbound Improv Challenge of 06/14/04. It is way over the 1,000 word limit, however, I did use the first and last lines exactly as posted. It is also my first attempt at a bit of erotica.

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**Grissom remembered warm summer nights in Boston, and wine in yellow plastic cups** as he gently turned the small specimen jar in his hand, gazing thoughtfully at its contents. This particular trip down memory lane had started as a result of several complaints that had been expressed as of late in reference to the more peculiar than usual smell emanating from his office. Grissom had to admit that even he had begun to notice it, so he knew something was definitely amiss. Since it was a slow night at the lab, he decided to begin the hunt for the source of the offensive odor by searching through his cluttered shelves stacked full with jars of embalmed organs and assorted creatures and sample bags from various cases and expeditions. Grissom kept all of these things in his office because he never knew when they might become useful in a case and because the scientist in him simply enjoyed having them around… but it didn't hurt that most people at the lab found his collection beyond creepy – helping to keep most uninvited visitors down to a minimum.

Grissom had been carefully rearranging the large jar containing his embalmed fetal pig, dubbed "Miss Piggy" by Nick, on a shelf when he spied the small container he now held in his hand. To a casual observer it simply held a handful of tiny beetles. But to Grissom it also held memories… sweet memories… of a special summer night in Boston and a certain Harvard student who had captured his heart…

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"Would you like another cup?" Sara asked as she started to pour more wine into the yellow plastic cup Grissom held in his hand, not realizing she was trying to pour from an almost empty bottle.

Smiling, he shook his head. "No thanks… I think I've had enough for this evening. From the looks of things, so has everyone else." To illustrate, he nodded his head towards the small crowd of fellow students and faculty that were beginning to disperse as the Boston Landmarks Orchestra members packed up their instruments to leave and the night grew darker. Every week during the summer at Harvard there were free outdoor concerts and plays - and free wine alternately provided by the many different student organizations on campus. This was the third such event Sara and Grissom had attended together since she had asked him if he wanted to see one of the plays with her after class one day.

Gil Grissom was in Boston as a personal favor for his old pal and colleague, Harvard Professor Will Graham, presenting a summer-long _Entomology in Forensics_ seminar for graduate level students. Sara was his most interested and brightest student. Her enthusiasm was contagious and he couldn't help but be drawn to her. It didn't hurt any that she was drop-dead gorgeous either. The first time he saw her, sitting front and center in the first row, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Beautiful espresso eyes and chocolate-colored hair, with a face and figure that reminded him of John Collier Hon's _Lady Godiva_. For the first time in his relatively short career thus far, he was having difficulty keeping his mind on the subject matter and was more than a little relieved to have a podium before him to hide any obvious evidence of his wayward thoughts.

"I guess you're right. The night's still young though. Would you like to go to the coffee shop again?" Sara asked.

Grissom gave Sara a lopsided smile as he drank in the tall and lanky form before him. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

They walked along the northern banks of the Charles River which ran the length of the campus, along a tree-lined walkway discussing stages of larval development postmortem, the topic of the previous day's lecture. As they neared an open, grassy courtyard, Sara suddenly stopped and pointed towards some heavy brush off to their right. "Did you see that?" she whispered.

Grissom's eyes followed Sara's arm but couldn't discern what she was pointing to. "What Sara?"

"Lights. Flickering lights in the bushes near the water."

Grissom squinted his eyes and looked again. At first he saw nothing, but then he picked up the brilliant yellow lights flashing on and off like an eye blinking again and again. His eyes lit up and a knowing expression crossed his face.

"Fireflies, Sara."

"Fire what's?" Sara raised an eyebrow and looked at him in confusion.

"Fireflies. Scientifically they go by the family name Lampyridae… which shows that some scientists have a sense of humor and name these things appropriately." He grinned at Sara, amused at the fact that she had no idea what he was talking about. "You've never seen Lightning Bugs before?"

Sara shook her head. "No, I grew up on the water in California, but I don't ever remember seeing anything like that."

"Well that explains it. They're not normally found west of the Rocky Mountains." Grissom paused, and then took hold of Sara's hand as he headed towards the bushes, pulling her along with him. "Come on. Let's catch some and I'll show you what they look like."

Reaching the bushes Grissom let go of Sara's hand and pulled a specimen jar out of his jacket pocket. Sara looked at him quizzically, a slight grin forming. "Do you always carry specimen jars with you?"

Grissom looked sheepishly down at the jar and then back up to Sara's face, cocking his head, "You never know when one might come in handy… Wait… don't move Sara. One just landed on your shoulder…"

Sara's eyes widened and she stood perfectly still. Grissom reached up with his hand and gently snatched the bug off her shoulder, swiftly scooping it into the waiting jar. Boyish excitement danced in his eyes as he held the jar up for Sara to see.

"They're actually not flies at all, but little beetles. They have special cells in their abdomen that contain chemicals that emit light. Can you see it flashing?"

Sara looked closer. "Yes! I can see it! Wow… that's amazing." Intrigued, Sara asked, "So, why do fireflies emit light like that?"

"It's actually rather simple. The ones that are flying around are the males, and the females sit in the brush and respond by flashing their lights. That's how they find each other… how they find their mate."

Grissom looked at the little firefly in the jar and then let his gaze drift back towards Sara's face. In the moonlight he could make out the graceful curve of her jaw, the fullness of her lips, and the sparkle in her eyes as she looked in wonderment at the creature before her. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. Such beauty… such intellect… and such curiosity in what interested him. No woman he had ever met had shown any inquisitiveness at all in his passions. In fact, most had found them quite repulsive. But not Sara… It was like she was a female firefly flashing her light at him so that he could find her...

"So, are you going to kiss me or not…" Sara's low and sultry whisper next to his ear shook Grissom out of his thoughts as his face registered a little surprise.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"The way you were staring at my lips… I thought you might be thinking about kissing me." Sara's lips curled up into a seductive smile. Grissom couldn't help but smile back. _She can even read my mind_, he thought to himself, and with that he leaned in and kissed her.

It started as a chaste kiss, soft and gentle, but it quickly escalated into one of intense passion and desire as he ran his tongue across her lips, imploring her to part her own and allow his tongue to mingle with hers. She granted his request and their tongues entwined, sucking, tasting, exploring. The specimen jar containing the firefly was forgotten as it fell from his hand to land softly at their feet. With both hands now free, Grissom brought them up, cupping Sara's face as they kissed. When he could no longer breathe, he reluctantly pulled back, chest heaving. Their eyes met and held for a long moment, and then he dipped his head and their lips joined again. Sara's fingers tangled in his curls as she pressed herself against him, and he closed his eyes and groaned, his hands dropping to spread and tighten upon her waist and spine.

Slowly, Grissom lowered himself onto his knees in front of Sara and then leaned his head back, his eyes questioning as he gazed up into hers.

"Sara..."

She flashed him her gap-toothed smile with eyes as full of lust and desire as his own.

"Yes…"

A small growl escaped his lips as he leaned into her stomach, lifting her shirt and tenderly kissing her abdomen. He tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her down to him, then gently lowered her to the cool, soft grass beneath them. He knelt beside her, quickly removing his light jacket and polo shirt. As he started to undo the button on his jeans, Sara reached up and took his hands. "Let me." Hesitantly, he dropped his hands to his sides as Sara gently undid the button, and then slowly lowered the zipper while gazing up into his eyes from beneath her long brown lashes. He sucked in a breath as her fingers faintly brushed against him and he let his head fall back and sighed softly.

When Sara had finished divesting him of his clothing, he brought his head back to gaze down into her eyes. Lying down next to her, he smiled tenderly as his trembling hands started unbuttoning her shirt. She watched him, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight as he undid each button and opened her blouse almost reverently. He continued to undress her, caressing her with a slow and feather-light touch that caused Sara to quiver in anticipation. Then gently, Grissom lowered himself onto her, keeping the bulk of his weight off her by resting on his forearms on either side of her head. Looking deep into her eyes and stroking her hair, he leaned down to kiss her once again, plunging his tongue into her mouth. She responded in kind as her arms encircled him, hands stroking up and down his strong back. Grissom closed his eyes and lowered his head to tenderly kiss her neck and collarbone, sighing with pleasure; her skin was so warm and soft. Their lovemaking grew more urgent, and it wasn't long before Grissom felt Sara's body shudder beneath his own, her fingernails digging into the muscles of his back and her mouth gently nipping at his shoulder with pleasure. That was all it took to bring him over the edge as well as he moaned softly into the silky hollow of her neck.

They lay there like that, bodies entwined, for what seemed like an eternity as their ragged breaths and racing heartbeats began to slow and return to normal. Grissom, aware that he was probably crushing her beneath his weight, rolled off her and lay on his back, pulling Sara close to him so that her head rested on his chest. Staring up at the stars, he kissed the top of her head and rubbed his hand slowly up and down her arm in a soft caress.

"You know," Sara broke the silence, "I think I like these fireflies. Can we catch some more and take them back with us?"

Grissom laughed softly. "I think that can be arranged."

XxxxOOOxxxX

"Grissom? Grissom…" a soft voice was calling to him. Grissom blinked and looked up to see Catherine standing in front of his desk, staring at him. "Grissom, you look lost in thought. Everything OK?"

"Hmm?" Mentally shaking himself loose from his reverie, Grissom just stared at her for a moment. "Oh… yes… I'm fine… I'm fine…"

Catherine didn't look convinced, but continued anyway. "What have you got there in your hand, Gil?"

Confused, Grissom looked down at the jar of fireflies. "Oh… nothing… just a few Lampyridae specimens." He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and gently placed the jar inside.

"Did you ever find out what's making your office smell so terrible?" she asked.

Looking into the drawer, Grissom raised his eyebrows, then reached in and pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag containing something unrecognizable, but green and black in color.

"I believe I just did," he replied.

Catherine narrowed her eyes and turned her head slightly, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the terrible stench, "What is it!" she coughed.

"I can't be certain… but I think it was an egg salad sandwich in a former life." Even Grissom's face was contorted in repulsion at the awful smell.

As Catherine turned to escape Grissom's office, he heard her moan disgustedly, **"Ewww!"**

FIN


End file.
